I have a good friend at work who first explained atkins to me years ago. He was a good man, but very big in a tall sort of way. He was six feet seven inches tall, very wide shoulders, big powerful hands and thick limbed. He had a very quiet nice disposition and kind. He was doing Atkins with me for a while at the same time. He was quick to smile and had a good ear for listening. He had a belly, but I would not have called him Obese in my private terms of the word.

About a year ago, he inform me he was going to have his stomach stapled, and that his doctor recomended it might be for the best as he keeps failing at sticking to a diet. He told me all about it, just like he sold me on the concepts of Atkins. He had the surgury done, and was out for quite a while.

When I saw him next he was already allot thinner, sitting in his enourmous frame in chairs that always look to small for him reading this instruction book/pamflet on what and how to eat. He was eating his lunch from a custard cup. A ground pulp of protein shake and some kind of pudding. Exacly one ounce, the size of his stomach now. I asked him how he was, and how it went, he smiled and said okay, but went over some of the difficulties which sounded horrible to me but I guess they are the run of the course when you do this.

As the months went by, the weight just kept comming off, he looked really good. then more months went by, and he still looked good but something seemed amis. I saw him the other day, and everyone seemed so proud of him, He Can't weigh more than a 180lbs. I don't think he looks good anymore, though I don't tell him out of kindness, I think he looks like a very tall sad scarecrow. He doesn't look powerful anymore, he looks sickly, though I am the only one who seems to think so, as the thinner people seem ever so proud he has joined their ranks.

Another fellow at work I am aquainted with and was a friend of this frist fellow just came back from a long vacation early this winter. I found him eating out of the same custard cup eating the same kind of goup. He is loosing weight hand over foot, and now is very very thin. The skin on his face just hangs there, because he lost so fast.

I keep all comments to myself of course, But I feel so bad for my freinds, to do such a horrible things to there bodies for acceptance. This stupid idea that its better to do this to yourself than be overwieght because overweight has its own health risks is really far fetched. Unless someone was extremely overweight, and coudn't even stand on there own two feet I might understand, but this surgery boarders on criminal. They have to live like that for the rest of there lives, and though I know it was there choice, and I wish them well, I feel so sad for them.

So as your doing your diet, and see the small gains and it seems to be taking forever, remember its supposed to, loosing weight real fast has its attractions, but in the end....well I wish you could see what I see and you would understand. My friend doesn't smile as much as he used to, but I can tell he finally feels he has one his battle with weight...but at what costs...


I read in the paper the other night that one in two hundred die from the surgury, 30% have life threatning complications and 50% just complications. Thats horrible odds in my opinion.. THis surgury is getting more popular.

Its my opinion that weight loss is a matter of education only, if you understand, then loosing is just a matter of time. Its not about insane exercise about sacrafice. Its just about knowing how food works.. I will be on Atkins most likely for my life to stay in weight, and its not doubt It will take me years to reach where im going, but I am willing to wait..